Court Orders 'Trial-Within-Trial' in EFCC, Jang's Case

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A Jos High Court in Plateau State on Wednesday ordered a trial-within-trial to ascertain whether the statement which the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related offences Commission (ICPC) obtained from a former cashier of the state Government House, Mr. Yusuf Pam, facing over N6 billion charges was voluntarily given or done under duress.

Justice Daniel Longji gave the order in his ruling following the disclosure that ICPC operatives pressured Pam to make written statement during investigation.



Pam is standing trial at the High Court alongside the former Governor of the state and Senator representing Plateau North in the National Assembly, Jonah Jang, in  a 12-count charge brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which bordered on alleged corruption and misappropriation of the state fund.


The EFCC had alleged that Jang, who served as the governor of the state between 2007 and 2015, misappropriated N6 billion two months to the end of his administration in 2015.



The duo had since pleaded not guilty to the charges

When the case came up for hearing yesterday, counsel to the prosecutor, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), had called the eighth witness, Mr. Taiwo Olorunwoni, an investigator with the ICPC, who testified before the court that N2 billion belonging to the Plateau State Small and Medium Scale Enterprise (SMSE) Agency and another N3 billion of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) were withdrawn by the cashier and taken to the former governor.


Jacobs had sought to tender the written statement of Pam as evidence in court, but his move was objected by the defence counsel, Mike Ozekheme (SAN), who argued that the statement was not voluntarily obtained as confirmed by Pam who told the court that he was pressured by the ICPC operatives to make the written statement.


After arguments and counter arguments by the prosecution and the defence counsels, the duo agreed for the court to proceed on trial-within-trial on the matter to ascertain if the statements was voluntarily obtained by the commission or not.



Justice Daniel Longji, therefore, adjourned the case for a trial-within-trial to April 25 and 26, 2019.

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